In a text message received by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Braves pitcher John Smoltz said that he will return as a releiver. Bobby Cox has gone on record as saying that he prefers to have Smoltz in the starting rotation, but when he returns from the D.L. (where he was placed because of an aching shoulder), the future hall-of-famer will solve the Braves' closing woes.
San Francisco Giant's catcher Eliezer Alfonzo has been suspended 50 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Alfonzo, 29, was sent to Triple-A just before opening day. He played 113 games with the Giants in the past two seasons, batting .263 with 13 home runs and 45 RBI.
After saying his playing would be a day to day decision, the Yankees have placed Alex Rodriguez on the 15-day DL for a strained right quadriceps. He will join Jorge Posada, who is still waiting to find out if he will need surgery to repair his “dead shoulder.” The Yankees are now down two of their key players and manager Joe Girardi admits that A-Rod is “a hard guy to replace.”
Long-time head case Barry Zito was demoted to the bullpen today, making the Giants pitcher the most expensive middle reliever in MLB history. The Giants gave Zito a $126 million contract and called him the new face of the franchise in December 2006. He currently has a 7.53 ERA; a 1.95 WHIP and an 11:15 K/WALK ratio.
Grady Sizemore was riding the pine for the first time in 382 games on Sunday after spraining his ankle against the Yankees the day before. Surprisingly, Sizemore sat out Monday as well and the club is being especially cautious with his injury. “I could care less about the streak,” Sizemore said, “I just don’t like missing games.”
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